Mother’s Day has turned into a commercial bonanza lauding the work of mothers. Instead of focusing on the chores mothers do, we need to emphasize the mothering experience and how it can bring about fundamental change.

National discussions about mothering seem to crop up during presidential campaigns, so it is time now to analyze honestly what these rare discussions say about our values.

The health of a society can often be seen in its treatment of women. With the latest attack on women’s fertility, the United States seems to be following a dangerous path. It’s time we pay attention to the warning signs and head them off at the pass.

The Iron Lady, the new movie about Margaret Thatcher, did not live up to its potential. Perhaps if they had focused on what it was like for her to be both a mother and a woman in power they might have made a more interesting movie.

What does it mean to be ‘natural’ or ‘wild’? Are these qualities, on an archetypal level, associated with women? Can we recognise the archetypes of wild women, incarnating freedom and desire, or earth mothers, here to nurture, who are ultimately very powerful, yet possibly not very bright?

Persons with disturbed characters don’t act the way most of us do largely because they don’t think the way we do. Some will even advance points of view which they don’t really believe but which they want you to believe that they believe — all with a view to manipulating you or managing your impression of them.

Sometimes I am struck in my work as a therapist by how many strong, talented, intelligent, creative, loving women have a tendency to live as if their lives didn’t matter.